The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-02-04
FORREST AND INGERSOLL.
WHY THE "wIZARD OF THE SAD
DLE'' WANTED TO SWAP
The Great Free Thinker for Gov
ernment MuIe-Hts speech Was
Too much for Him.

NbW Il VI n lOlbCl pOi NON ia ONN'
Bob Iugersoll's command" said vet
eran of the 0chiltree club at the
panorama of Bull Run this evening.
land whenever l want to have a good
laugh l recall in my mind the Incl
dents connected with his capture in
Tennessee. / have seen somewhere q
cruel paragraph to the effect that the
Colonel surrendered very willingly,
and want to brand that falsehocd for
lust what it lie. A Drawer man never
saw in five years of service. We
vera scattered over good deal Of ter
ri!ory surrounding the village at the
time the Colonel was taken and cared
for by the Johnnies. We were in a
skirmish 1t tbs time, and the Colonel
was trying to get to a demoralized
wing OF his command. AS he was
passing throu gh series OF cattle pens
he was surrounded by lot OF Confed-
crates and commanded to surrender,
but he didn't do it worth cent. He
kept right on running at breakneck
speed. He was not so stout then as
now, and as pedestrian he
was no SLOUGH. The bullets
were flying about him thick as
hail. II he could get to another
branch OF his command he felt that
he could rally the boys and win the
fight. A number of his men saw that
he was in imminent peril, and that If
he didn't surrender he would be
killed, and they yelled at him at the
top of their voices to ttop and sur
render. He needed, but 1 could see
that he did 30 with regret and disgust.
Here is where the humor began.
When the Colonel stopped he threw
up his hands and screamed out: stop
firing! I'll acknowledge your - old
Confederacy." Toe Colonel was taken
over to a ct IRE for safe keeping and he
proved to be a greet curiosity. People
focked around him, listened to his
stories, laughed, and declared that
they were having more fun than they
ever had in their lives. That night the
Colonel sat around the store till a
poodly number OF the rebels came in,
and then he began to treat and tell
yarns. Finally the crowd OVERT owed
the place and blocked up the
entrance to it. Then the Colonel
went outside. The boys were
all feeling we'll under the potency Of
words and drinks, and every man
woman and child within the sound OF
his voice loved him. Directly the
Colonel was asked to make speech.
This was what he was working for, and
a minute later he was on q box and
addressing the crowd-and it YVES a
right rough crowd, too. No lecture
that great orator has ever delivered
contained so much that was good in it.
1t fairly dubbed over with good will
and the milk Of human kindness. He
pictured how Iegretfully the North
took up arms against the South, re.
minding his hearers that they had
fred the fret shot in their assault upon
Fort Sumter. Then he went off on
slavery, placing the poor white before
him in The place OF the unfortunate
blacks, a people with souls and all the
instincts OF the whites, but down
trodden for no other reason than that
they were black. He pictured the
scene, when those who had held
human souls in bondage were
called before the judgment throne
to answer for deeds done in the
flesh. 1t was a touching appeal
and brought out streams ofISears snc
storms Of applause from the very mer
who had but few hours before shol
at and captured him. At the moment
when the most pathetic passages In
his speech were being delivered
Gen. Forrest, the Confederate cavalry
man, whose command had made thu
capture, rushed into the crowd, al
sgiow witt excitement but not anger
and exclaimed: Here, Ingersoll
stop that speech, and I'll exchange
you for government mule. A shor
time aitsrwsrd Col. Ingersoll was pa
rolled. He was demorslizing tn
whole OF that command, and woult
have had it revalting against its com
msnder had he been allowed t. 90 oil
for two or three days as he had on tn
first day."